Mobile report (MO 164-34) re interview of Maxwell AFB Major on sport parachuting and suspect background
Document date 10 December 1971
Also filed separately as sections:
Report a problem
Email this to [email protected]
Id: Cooper-Part-16:296-299
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-16:296-299 Document: Mobile report (MO 164-34) re interview of Maxwell AFB Major on sport parachuting and suspect background Id: Cooper-Part-16:296-299 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-16%3A296-299 What is wrong (title, date, type, which pages belong together, copies)? What does the scan show?
A person reads every report. Corrections are made by hand, to the data — titles, dates, names, which pages belong together — never to the scans, and they can take a while to appear.
FBI 164-81, Vault Part 16 pp. 296–299 (DB Cooper-4622–4625), Report, dated 10 Dec 1971 — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-16%3A296-299
MO 164-34 GRM/mb 1
---
The following investigation was conducted by SA [REDACTED] on December 1, 1971:
Major [REDACTED] Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, advised he is acquainted with sport parachutists and skydiving activities in the northwestern section of the United States.
The U. S. Parachute Association has divided the country up into about seven regions with a total membership of about 25,000 to 30,000 people.
He further indicated that he firmly believed that if this had been a skydiver who committed the hijacking, the skydiver would not have come from the Northwest section of the United States. He believed that since most skydivers know each other in a section of the country, this would preclude it being an individual from that section of the country.
Major [REDACTED] advised the jump from 10,000 feet in bad weather is not a great physical feat and there would be no problem in jumping at that altitude in bad weather. He advised that an individual would not need jump boots and stated that he, himself, has skydived with tennis shoes on.
At this time Major [REDACTED] was shown an artist con- ception of an individual, allegedly the hijacker of Northwest Air Lines Flight 305, and he indicated he did not know anybody in his section of the country who fit this description. Major [REDACTED] further stated that whoever set up the hijacking operation in this case knew quite a lot about airplanes. He further indicated that probably the reason behind the four parachutes given to the hijacker was that the hijacker wanted to test the good faith of the people on the ground inasmuch as a skydiver would be able to tell whether or not parachutes were operable. He further indicated that if two parachutes were left behind in the aircraft, the hijacker could have dropped one 'chute and activated it as a decoy to ward off any trailing air- craft, and then could have bailed out after the decoy 'chute was dropped.
---
b6 b7C b6 b7C b6 b7C b6 b7C
---
164:81 - 13/3 SEARCHED ......INDEXED SERIALIZED /MR [guess: FILED] [REDACTED] DEC 10, 1971 FBI - SEATTLE [initials]
---
DB Cooper-4622
MO 164-34 2
---
Major [REDACTED] advised that if the hijacker were knowledgeable in flying and skydiving, he could have checked with the Portland, Seattle or Reno Weather Bureau a day or two before his feat concerning the weather forecast along the route. If a pilot is about to take a cross-country, he would normally check the weather bureau by indicating his name and aircraft number to the weather bureau in order that this infor- mation could be furnished. If this were the case, there is a possibility that someone could have checked the weather on a route between Seattle to Reno a day or two before the hijacking.
---
Major [REDACTED] further indicated that he was going to [REDACTED] California, area for Christmas and intended to make a few jumps (skydive) and would check with his friends in that area of the country regarding the hijacking and if any positive information is obtained, he would contact the FBI in Montgomery, Alabama, upon his return after the Christmas holidays, or he would contact the San Francisco Office of the FBI.
---
The following investigation was conducted by SAs [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] at Montgomery, Alabama, December 2, 1971:
---
[REDACTED] Delta Airlines, Montgomery, advised that a [REDACTED] was a ticketed passenger on Flight 320 leaving Montgomery at 1:58 PM this date enroute to Atlanta, Georgia, with connecting Flight Delta 119 leaving Atlanta on December 2, 1971, enroute to Los Angeles, California.
---
On December 2, 1971, [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Australia, advised that he is the [REDACTED] of Australia with an address of [REDACTED]
---
SAs [REDACTED] advised him that he generally fit the description of an artist's conception of a hijacker of a Northwest Air Lines jet which was hijacked on November 24, 1971.
---
[REDACTED] itinerary is basically as follows since his departure from Sydney, Australia:
Departed Sydney, Australia 11/15/71 (9:01) via American Air Lines Flight 202 Arrived Washington, D. C. 11/15/71 (4:40 PM) American Air Lines Flight 226
---
[REDACTED] went directly to [REDACTED] Virginia, to the home of his mother, [REDACTED]
---
DB Cooper-4623
MO 164-34 3
---
[REDACTED] Virginia, telephone number [REDACTED] [REDACTED] He advised that he was residing at his mother's house until he departed for Montgomery, Alabama, on November 30, 1971, on Easter Air Lines Flight 147, arriving Montgomery at 2:08 PM.
---
He advised he was at his mother's home on November 24, 1971, and that his mother could verify this fact.
---
On November 20, 1971, he attended [REDACTED] wedding. [REDACTED] name is [REDACTED] and he is a [REDACTED] At present he is [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Congressman BLACKBURN in Washington, D. C. The wedding was held at [REDACTED] While in Washington, he also visited a friend at the State Department, [REDACTED] office telephone number is [REDACTED] home phone area code [REDACTED]
---
[REDACTED] advised that he would be more than happy to show the contents of his luggage and briefcase to the Agents at this time, which he did, but there was no evidence concerning the hijacking or the $200,000 loot.
---
[REDACTED] further indicated his itinerary on this date was tentatively set for arrival at Los Angeles on Delta Flight 119 and departure from Los Angeles on BOAC Flight 591 at 7:00 PM local time. He advised this BOAC Flight 591 was scheduled to stop at Fiji Islands and that he might stay at the Fiji Islands for one day on business, but he was not positive at this time.
---
He further advised that he has a U. S. passport issued at [REDACTED] on [REDACTED] and produced a passport visa number [REDACTED] He also produced [REDACTED] license issued by the FAA, number [REDACTED] along with an [REDACTED] [REDACTED]
---
The following descriptive data was obtained through observation and interview:
Name [REDACTED] Height 5'7" Weight 140 pounds Hair Dark Brown Eyes [REDACTED] Social Security Number [REDACTED] Military service None
---
DB Cooper-4624
MO 164-34 4
---
Employment
Married Children Education
---
b6 b7C
---
DB Cooper-4625
Serials: MO 164-34